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Topic: Wireless fails in one location,, works in another.

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dslfool

Group: Members
Posts: 105
Joined: April 2004

Posted: Aug. 20 2004,23:30

- stock DSL 0.7.3 HD install (no additional drivers compiled or installed)
- NetGear MA401NAR 802.11b wireless card

There are two locations near my home with free wireless Internet access, a coffee shop and a supermarket. Using a notebook with the DSL install and NetGear card shown above, I can connect to the wireless access points at both locations, but unlike the coffee shop, at the supermarket the system can't resolve any Internet addresses.

"Menu > System > net setup > netcardconfig > DHCP > yes" returns OK.

Here's what I get from ifconfig & iwconfig at the supermarket -

ifconfig returns:

eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:09:5B:4A:D7:48
inet addr:192.168.0.2 Bcast:192.168.0.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICAST MTU:1500 Metric:1
RX packets:9 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:9 errors:1 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:100
RX bytes:5256 (5.1 KiB) TX bytes:5052 (4.9 KiB)
Interrupt:5 Base address:0x100

lo Link encap:Local Loopback
inet addr:127.0.0.1 Mask:255.0.0.0
UP LOOPBACK RUNNING MTU:16436 Metric:1
RX packets:2 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 frame:0
TX packets:2 errors:0 dropped:0 overruns:0 carrier:0
collisions:0 txqueuelen:0
RX bytes:100 (100.0 B) TX bytes:100 (100.0 B)

iwconfig returns:

eth0 IEEE 802.11-DS ESSID:"Fred-Meyer-Stadium" Nickname:"Prism I"
Mode:Managed Frequency:2.412GHz Access Point: 00:20:E0:1F:92:B1
Bit Rate:11Mb/s Tx-Power=15 dBm Sensitivity:1/242700000
Retry min limit:8 RTS thr:off Fragment thr:off
Encryption key:off
Power Management:off
Link Quality:60/1 Signal level:-38 dBm Noise level:-143 dBm
Rx invalid nwid:0 Rx invalid crypt:0 Rx invalid frag:0
Tx excessive retries:0 Invalid misc:0 Missed beacon:0

----------

(I don't have the same info from the coffee shop, but I recall an eth0 IP address of 10.0.1.something.)

This is similar to another problem I reported with a different wireless card and an Apple AirPort base station - the system grabs IP settings from the wireless router which is supposed to provide IP and DNS, etc., but then can't resolve addresses.

Since it does work fine at one location does anyone have any ideas as to why it might not work at the other? Does this strike anyone as a DSL issue, a compatibility issue with the card, a problem with the supermarket's wirless system or something else?

--------------
Toshiba Portege 7200CTe notebook, 600MHz PIII, 8GB CF as HD, 320MB RAM
DSL 4.2.5 (frugal toram)
...and the picture is of Fuad Ramses from the film "Blood Feast".

roberts

Group: Members
Posts: 4983
Joined: Oct. 2003

Posted: Aug. 21 2004,06:45

Thanks great if both locations give you an IP address.
But for resolving names, I would want to see what "they" gave you for nameserver

cat /etc/resolv.conf

Note the one that works.
For the one that does not, try editing in the nameserver of the one that did work

supermarket, wired ethernet -

Unregistered

Posted: Aug. 21 2004,20:05

Sorry - I forgot that /etc/resolv.conf's where the DNS info resides. Here's the IP and DNS info for three situations, including a wired ethernet option at the supermarket:

----------
supermarket, wired ethernet (no name resolving) -

ifconfig =
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:E0:98:74:A3:FE
inet addr:192.155.1.3 Bcast:192.155.1.255 Mask:255.255.255.0

/etc/resolve.conf =
search domain.actdsltmp
nameserver 192.155.1.1

----------
supermarket, wireless (no name resolving)

ifconfig =
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:09:5B:4A:D7:48
inet addr:192.168.0.2 Bcast:192.168.0.255 Mask:255.255.255.0

iwconfig =
eth0 IEEE 802.11-DS ESSID:"Fred-Meyer-Stadium" Nickname:"box"

/etc/resolv.conf =
search domain.actdsltmp
nameserver 192.168.0.1
nameserver 198.6.1.3

----------
coffee shop, wireless (name resolving works!)

ifconfig =
eth0 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 00:09:5B:4A:D7:48
inet addr:10.11.33.96 Bcast:10.11.33.255 Mask:255.255.255.0

iwconfig =
eth0 IEEE 802.11-DS ESSID:"www.personaltelco.net" Nickname:"box"

/etc/resolv.conf =
search personaltelco.net
nameserver 10.11.33.1

----------

I'm assuming that the " domain.actdsltmp" in resolv.conf at the supermarket is a default DSL string? Does this matter, or is it just the IP numbers that count? At the supermarket, the single DNS number does match the assigned IP.

Thanks!

dslfool

Group: Members
Posts: 105
Joined: April 2004

Posted: Aug. 21 2004,20:23

Boy, I'm batting 1000 today. :-) The last entry is mine, but I forgot to log in and didn't realize that the text "supermarket...", etc., would be entered as the poster. Gee, I'm dumb sometimes...

I also forgot to ask - I haven't been back to the supermarket to try it, but in theory should the DNS text and/or numbers from the coffee shop work at the supermarket? Different network 'n all?

--------------
Toshiba Portege 7200CTe notebook, 600MHz PIII, 8GB CF as HD, 320MB RAM
DSL 4.2.5 (frugal toram)
...and the picture is of Fuad Ramses from the film "Blood Feast".

roberts

Group: Members
Posts: 4983
Joined: Oct. 2003

Posted: Aug. 21 2004,22:19

Both appear to be using internal DNS servers. So you cannot use one on the other. They might be limiting that which server by having internal DSN servers. Is the supermarket really for public use or did you just happen to connect to their wifi?

If you can ping an outside IP then simply use an external DNS server.
You don't need that search line. All that is really required is the nameserver line(s) For example

Try to ping to 207.217.126.41 If it works then use

nameserver 207.217.126.41

Of course try to use on that is local to your location. Try using the external one from your ISP. Or try to google a public DNS server.

9 replies since Aug. 20 2004,23:30

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